Why Hotels Are Getting Guests Up Close and Personal With Their Favorite Drinks

At first, the connection between the Nines Hotel and Westward Whiskey—both right across the river from each other in Portland, Ore.—isn’t clear. The luxury property has been one of the city’s premier hotels since opening in 2008, while Westward is the face of a transition from a former entity that represented a broader range of grassroots, artisan spirits.

In April, the two built a partnership that sends tourists across the
Morrison Bridge
for a tour of Westward’s distillery, and brings the experience together with drinks and a bottle to take home back to the hotel room along with a night’s stay (and valet parking).

Experiences like this one are representative of a new trend happening across the U.S.: luxury hotels working with local distilleries, breweries, and wineries to offer specialized packages purpose-built to drive new business in the most competitive sections of the hospitality market.

“It’s mutually beneficial in the way that it highlights the craftsmanship and the artisans of our city,” of the hotel and the spirit, says Westward Whiskey brand ambassador
Jordan Felix.

In Burlington, Vt., Hotel Vermont’s Food & Beverage director
Matt Canning
explains that beer tourism was a focus since opening six years ago, but they’ve noticed the demand for richer experiences and elevated their offerings to meet that.

The hotel’s Summer Beer Exploration package is a two-day immersion in the brewing process where guests get to be involved from step one all the way through to canning of a certain style of beer depending on what the brewers are making that day. Guests interact directly with the brewers and malters, and are served coursed meals throughout.

“This is about having a unique experience with Vermont beer,” Canning says. “The demand was there, and we have some guests even coming back to try the beer later on.” (Participants in this package also get to take home a four-pack of their own brew.)

In Chicago, two hotels offer different approaches for enthusiasts to experience their favorite beverages.

“
It’s mutually beneficial in the way that it highlights the craftsmanship and the artisans of our city
”

—Jordan Felix

The Blackstone Hotel’s Tapping the Barrel package includes a curated tour and private tasting at
KOVAL
Distillery and a mini bottle of the hotel’s personal bourbon.

With the hotel downtown and the distillery in the north of the city, it’s also a way for guests to see another part of Chicago.

“Our partnership with The Blackstone makes so much sense from an alignment perspective, and we can tell it’s definitely sticking with people,” says KOVAL PR & Communications Coordinator
Abby Soler.
“We’re typically connecting with people from around the world who might not have gotten a chance to come and experience all that the north side of Chicago has to offer, especially if they are staying in the heart of downtown.”

The Viceroy Chicago keeps the experience solely at the hotel with a private in-room tasting from Chicago Distilling. The partnership launched in 2017 and is still being developed between both the hotel and the distillery. Last month, they added a CBD element to their offering with bath bombs from California-based Kush Queen. The total package resembles more relaxation and spa-like setups than what other properties are doing.

Internationally, properties are taking note of the trend and developing beverage tourism as well.

Earlier this year, Edinburgh’s Glasshouse launched a comprehensive package, including a seven-course whiskey tasting dinner and bespoke distillery tour (locale of the guest’s choosing), following the historic property’s refurbishment in 2018.

Across the channel in Ireland,
Ashford Castle
is opening an extremely limited run of Midleton Very Rare whiskey as part of a tasting package with glasses at US$180 each and bottles averaging more than US$1,200.

In the U.S., beverage tourism is big business. There were 1.6 million visitors to Vermont breweries in 2017, and Portland’s long-lauded beer scene welcomed an estimated 19 million total visitors in 2016. Bourbon tourism in Kentucky has grown significantly as well.

It’s showing no signs of slowing, and that’s spurring luxury hospitality to adapt to the times.

“It infiltrates [tourists] travel as they come through and they interact with it,” Canning says about beer tourism, specifically. “Somehow, you can’t really miss it.”

Why Hotels Are Getting Guests Up Close and Personal With Their Favorite Drinks

At first, the connection between the Nines Hotel and Westward Whiskey—both right across the river from each other in Portland, Ore.

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